Search with Spotlight

Spotlight can find apps, documents, photos, and other files on your Mac, and can use Spotlight Suggestions to show flight status information, news, sports, movies, stocks, weather, and more from sources like the web, Maps, and iTunes. Spotlight can even get conversions, calculations, and definitions for you.

Tip: You can drag the Spotlight window anywhere on the desktop and make it bigger.

Open Spotlight and search

Open Spotlight: Click the Spotlight icon in the upper-right corner of the menu bar, or press Command-Space bar.

If it’s your first time using Spotlight, a description is shown in the Spotlight window. Just start typing in the search field where it says Spotlight Search.

Enter a search phrase: Start typing what you want to find—results appear as you type; you don’t need to press Return.

You can find files on your Mac by typing what you’re looking for in the same way you’d say it. For example, you could search by typing “california photos” or “emails from kelly.”

You can find things on the web and in the iTunes Store, iBooks Store, or App Store. For example, you can get results for weather, sports, stocks, or flight status or transit information. Search for music, movies, books, apps, nearby stores and landmarks, and more.

Ask Siri. Say something like: “What’s the weather today?”

Open an app: Type the name of the app, such as Preview, then press Return.

Ask Siri. Say something like: “Open FaceTime”

View and use search results

Open an item: Select the item in the results list on the left, then press the Return key. Or double-click the item.

Use a preview: Click items or links in the preview on the right. For example, to hear a song in your iTunes playlist, click the Play button next to the song. Or to purchase tickets for a movie playing near you, click the movie times.

Show the location of a file on your Mac: Select the file in the results list, then press and hold the Command key to show the file’s location at the bottom of the preview.

Copy an item: Drag a file from the results list to the desktop or a Finder window.

See files recently used in an app: Enter the app’s name (don’t press the Return key unless you want to open the app). To open a file, double-click it in the preview.

Make a desktop shortcut to an item: Drag the item from the results list to the desktop; just click it on the desktop to open the item in the appropriate app, such as Safari.

See all results from your Mac in the Finder: Scroll to the bottom of the results list, then double-click Show all in Finder. You can narrow the results in Finder.

Get conversions, calculations, and definitions

Ask Siri. Say something like: “How many centimeters in an inch?” or “What does parboil mean?” Learn more about Siri.

Convert currencies: Enter an amount to see the equivalent in other common currencies. For example, enter $100, £100, or ¥100. Or enter something like “300 krone in dollars.”

Convert temperatures: Enter a temperature like 98.8F or 32C. Or enter something like “340K in F.”

Get a calculation: Enter a mathematical expression, such as 956*23.94.

Get a definition: Enter a word or phrase, then click the result in the Definition section.

When Spotlight Suggestions are enabled, some apps—for example, Mail, Messages, and Notes—may outline an item (such as an artist name, a place, or a movie title) in text or make it a link as a hint that more information is available. Just click the arrow or the link to read more in the Look up window. (Your messages, emails, and other content are not sent to Apple; only the items identified as Look Up hints and related usage data may be sent).

You can exclude specific folders, disks, or types of information (such as email or messages) from Spotlight searches. If you want Spotlight to search content only on your Mac and not include results from the web, you can turn off Spotlight Suggestions. For more information, see Spotlight preferences.